LOS ANGELES —
Chicago Fire didn’t exactly generate a lot of heat when it was launched in the fall on
NBC.

The drama about the truck and rescue squads of a fictional Chicago firehouse lacked the moody
darkness, charismatic anti-heroes and explosive violence of critical darlings such as
Breaking Bad,
Homeland,
Boardwalk Empire,
Dexter and
Sons of Anarchy. The show’s retro vibe and focus on heroism were decidedly more “
old-school” than “new cool.”

The template also seemed a bit too close to those of
Rescue Me,
Third Watch and other recent series centered on emergency workers. The cast consisted
largely of unknowns; the most recognizable faces were a supporting actor (David Eigenberg) from
Sex and the City and an actress (Lauren German) who starred in the horror-torture film
Hostel: Part II. There was more buzz for the show’s 10 p.m. Wednesday rival
Nashville on ABC.

But, as the season winds down,
Chicago Fire has quietly emerged as one of the few bright lights in NBC’s troubled
prime-time lineup, outdistancing series with higher concepts and bigger stars such as
Go On,
The New Normal,
Revolution and
Smash.

While
Nashville has lost steam,
Chicago Fire is averaging more than 8 million viewers a week — up from its premiere
audience of 6.6 million — and its pairing with veteran
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has formed a solid two-hour block.

NBC has yet to say whether any of its freshman series will be back in the fall, but the future
of
Chicago Fire is discussed with cautious enthusiasm.

“This show is very successful, and we feel really good about it,” said NBC Entertainment
President Jennifer Salke.

Added executive producer Dick Wolf: “We’re very optimistic.”

The show’s momentum is particularly gratifying for Wolf. It marks a success unconnected to the
Law & Order brand he created more than 20 years ago. It also marks a significant
thematic departure: Although the
Law & Order mother ship rarely explored the personal lives of its core characters, the
personal lives of the
Chicago Fire characters are at center stage.

“We have a very delicate balance between action and soap opera,” Wolf said. “We thought this has
a pretty good chance of working. It goes back to ‘It’s the writing, stupid.’ The show is the purest
example of retro TV, or comfort food.”

The formula of
Chicago Fire has been consistent: high- octane action sequences in which lives are at
stake mixed with volatile human drama. Lt. Matthew Casey (Jesse Spencer) has complex family issues
and lingering feelings for his former fiancee.

Lt. Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) is recovering from a painkiller addition. Paramedic Gabriela
Dawson (Monica Raymund) pines after Casey, even though she is starting a romance with trainee Peter
Mills (Charlie Barnett). Fellow paramedic Leslie Shay (German) is a lesbian who can’t seem to cut
ties with a former girlfriend.

But the most prominent star — and the key ingredient behind the appeal of
Chicago Fire, according to Wolf — is Chicago.

“This is America,” he said. “If you set this show in Los Angeles, people would say, ‘Oh, come
on.’ But this is about the heart of the country. It’s real.”